Once Upon an Island
by becca85
Summary: The building of a nightmare.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: A prequel of sorts to Harper's Island, so it doesn't really have anything to with the series other than setting the backdrop. **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Ari Schlossberg. I borrowed them for the entertainment and amusement of my audience. **

**SUMMARY: The building of a nightmare.**

**GENRE: Drama**

**RATING: PG-13**

**DATE COMPLETED: June 9, 2014**

**::~*~::**

John sat in the middle of his small boat, pulling at the oars. Guiding it cautiously thru the choppy waters, he kept glancing over his shoulder at the rapidly enlarging strip of land behind him. It grew steadily closer and when the little boat nosed up onto the soft mud of the beach, John heaved a sigh of relief. Yesterday, the day had dawned bright and clear, albeit a little cold, and he had had his first glimpse of the island off the coast. He had sailed the boat around the island the previous day and had put off landing on it until today when he would have enough time to actively explore it. Only today he had awoken to the same dreary conditions that had plagued the entire week prior to yesterday.

Taking a moment to drink in the pure, unadulterated sight before him, he breathed deeply of the crisp, fresh air. Leaping out of the boat, he noted, with unabashed satisfaction, that his were the only footprints seen upon the beach, as far as he could see in all directions.

Once he had finished stretching his sore and cramped muscles, he grabbed the bow of the boat and dragged it further up the beach, out of reach of the slowly rising tide. Without further hesitation, he disappeared into the tree line that ran along the shore.

**::~*~::**

_The year was 1849. Scores of settlers slowly expanded the American territory westward and John Harper and his family were just one in hundreds, even thousands. John had a dream, much like many other men had in those days. Except John's dream did not include bounteous piles of gold and silver and gems. John's dream was filled with strong, sturdy trees, and pure, rich soil. It was filled with bird calls, abundant game and crystal, clear waters. And the house… He would build a simple cabin to keep his family protected from the elements at first, but after…after he would produce such a grand house that their dreams could never have imagined. Of course, surrounding this grand house would be miles and miles of land. All owned by him. He didn't care about the greed that raged in the hearts of most of the other settlers. He thought only of Rachel, and Vincent, and Alison and his future posterity. And, of course, Daniel, but Daniel was his younger brother and had dreams of his own to strive for. _

_Their small group of five had set out with a wagon loaded with their belongings from Pennsylvania. Many months and many discarded prospects later, the Harper family finally came to the end of their travels. Not by choice, but by necessity. It was a cloudy, rainy day when they arrived at yet another body of water. The combination of the clouds, rain and chilly weather produced a fog so dense that they could not see past fifty yards out over the water. John had set up the campsite and decided to allow for a week to see if the fog would dissipate. He would have liked to stay only a couple of days, but little Alison was sick with the fever. Any kind of illness in those days was treated as life-threatening because, very often, it was. When Alison had first developed the fever, Daniel had offered to ride down to a small settlement that had been located three days' ride south of where they had been two days prior to see if they had any kind of medicine for the two-year-old._

_As they huddled in the tiny shelter on a particularly rainy day during their sojourn, John studied the map that he had bought from a couple of cartographers a few months back. They had mapped all the way to the Pacific Ocean through the southern part of the California territory but not as far north as the Harper family had traveled. John had done his best to keep track of their progress off the map, and he had a relatively good idea where they were—on the shore of that great ocean. He knew they were somewhere north of California and his estimation of it being the ocean in front of them was most assuredly accurate. Of course, he wouldn't know for sure until the fog lifted. _

**::~*~::**

_They had been camped for almost a week when the fog finally lifted. Alison hadn't gotten any better, but she hadn't gotten any worse either. On this particular morning, Alison had slept the whole night through for the first time in a week. Daniel was not expected for at least another day or two, so John, though he worried about his daughter's health, wasn't overly worried about his brother's return just yet. When John awoke, he crawled outside to stand on the beach and watch the rising sun. He was pleasantly surprised to see the fog had vanished and he could see all the way to a small island that was barely visible on the horizon. _

An island could be just what I'm looking for,_ he thought._ The weather may be poor for this region, but the privacy afforded by owning an island would more than make up for it.

_Quickly returning to the makeshift tent, he quietly woke his sleeping wife and told her of what he had seen. Helping her out of the tent, he pointed across the water to the piece of land he had spied. _

"_I'm going to go check it out. I think, after all of these months, we may have finally found our home. Let us pray that it is uninhabited," John excitedly said, his eyes never leaving the line on the horizon that potentially held all of his hopes and dreams for his family. _

_Rachel, just as excited, kissed him happily on his cheek. Turning to their wagon, Rachel helped John unhook the boat. They had found it, abandoned on the banks of a river, very early in their journey. Rachel had wanted to leave it, not wanting to transport any more stuff across the country, but John had persisted. Rachel had later seen the wisdom in it, most especially when they had come across rivers that afforded no bridges. John had even rigged a small carrier for it to hook up to the back of the wagon and roll it along. It was even used to tow the children as they continued on. Alison, particularly, loved sitting in it and looking at all the scenery going past, squealing in delight as she spied animals in the wilderness beyond the trail._

_With a splash, they dropped the boat into the water. After tethering it around a nearby tree with a piece of rope, John crawled back into the tent to gather a few items and to kiss the children goodbye. Both were still asleep as he kissed them on their foreheads, Alison's head still feeling feverish to the touch. Leaving the tent, he went outside to see Rachel tucking down a knapsack into the boat with food for the day and a pouch filled with fresh water. John hung back and just watched her for a minute. For the millionth time since he had first laid eyes on her, he thanked his lucky stars that she had chosen him. She was a beauty and could have had her pick of any of the local boys, but she had wanted him. She could have been well provided for by any number of well-off gentlemen back east, never having to work in her life, but she chose a life with him. _

_Sneaking up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her hair. She shrieked in surprise and then laughed as she tried to slip away from him. Realizing the futility of it, she spun around in his arms and planted a quick kiss on his lips. He tightened his hold on her and kissed her again, though more deeply than she had. _

_When they parted, John climbed into the boat and started out. He waved back to Rachel and watched her shrink as the distance widened between them. Once she was no more than a speck behind him, he turned his gaze towards the island and watched as it drew ever closer. Today, he would just circle the island and see what there was to be seen._

**::~*~::**

John traipsed through the trees. His water pouch slapped against his thigh with every step he took. He had explored much of the island and with every sight he took in, visions overtook his mind. He already knew exactly where he would build the cabin and even where his plan for the grand house would unravel. It had only taken him twenty minutes of exploration to determine that this was the place where he would raise his family.

He had been on the island for most of the day so far and was getting ready to return to the mainland. He had plans to put together a large log raft to transport everything over and was hoping that Daniel had caught up with them. He had had reservations about leaving his wife and children unprotected while he sailed off, but Rachel had quelled his fears by showing him a shallow cave that she had found in the nearby hills when she had gone out looking for fruit and herbs to supplement the meat he kept bringing in. She figured it would be large enough for her and the children to hide in should anything happen.

Bursting forth from the tree line, John saw his boat sitting on the beach about two hundred meters away from him. He paused a moment to take in the view behind him before setting off towards his boat.

He was here. He had found it. Now all of his dreams were going to come true.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, John awoke before the rest of his family and he stepped out of the tent, once again to look proudly across the water to where his future home lay. Just the sight of it brought a smile to his face. Behind him, in the tent, he could hear Vincent stirring in his sleep and his smile broadened.

**::~*~::**

"_Daddy, I want to go with you next time," the six-year-old pleaded with his father._

"_Vincent," Rachel cut in, with a warning in her tone. She was sitting near the camp fire, holding Alison on her lap, coaxing the small child to eat some fruit. "You're much too young to be going back and forth across the water. You'll get to go when we all do." The look she gave him indicated that was to be the end of the conversation. Instead, Vincent turned back to his father and wrapped his small arms around his father's legs._

"_Please, daddy!" he pointedly ignored the exasperated look his mother was giving him. "Please! I know you'll take good care of me, 'cause you're my daddy and you always take care of me. You won't let anything happen to me, will you?" His arms tightened around John's legs. The scene was so amusing, John couldn't help but laugh. Rachel's look of disapproval quickly shifted to John, fearful he was about to override her decision on the matter. He unhooked the boy's arms from around his legs and hoisted him up to eye level. _

"_Of course I would make sure nothing ever happened to you. Yet, your mother is absolutely right. You're too young for so many trips across the water. Even I had trouble out there today."_

_Vincent immediately slithered out of his father's arms and crossed to sit by the fire near his mother and sister. A sullen scowl graced his handsome features. Clearly, he wasn't going to get his way._

"_Besides, I won't be going back for a week," his father continued. "I need to make a bigger raft to carry our things across. I'm not sure, but I think you _may _be old enough to help me find good, strong trees to build the raft." While it wasn't exactly what he wanted, Vincent's face lit up at the suggestion. Clapping his hands in joy, he turned to his mother as if sensing she might disapprove. Against her maternal instincts, she nodded._

**::~*~::**

The memory made John chuckle, though a pair of arms sliding around his waist startled him out of his reminiscing. "What are you laughing at?" his wife asked, laying her head against his back.

"I was just thinking about last night," he replied, folding his arms over hers. "He wants to grow up so fast, doesn't he?"

"Yes," she said. She gave him a squeeze and then pulled her arms away and moved off toward the pit where the fire had been the previous evening. John followed her example and set about gathering some driftwood around the site to start the morning fire. "He wants to be just like his father and his uncle, protecting the women of the family. He doesn't quite understand that he's too young for such cares and responsibilities." She sighed.

"I'll talk with him, when we go out today. I'll try and help him understand. I do think some responsibility might be good for him, though. He does want to help." John returned to the pit with some small pieces of wood and started kindling the fire for the breakfast Rachel was preparing. "Perhaps he can be given a small job, like caring for Alison, while you perform your daily chores. I know he helps when you ask him to, but, maybe we should officially make her his responsibility, when you're busy."

Rachel, who had been so diligently working on preparing the morning meal, broke down next to the wagon and started sobbing. John immediately dropped what he was doing and hurried to her side, afraid that he had said something wrong. "I'm sorry. If you don't think he's ready, we won't ask him to watch over Alison."

She shook her head fiercely, and when she had regained control of herself, she said, "It's not that. John, I'm worried about Alison. She's hardly eaten anything since this started and now she's so tiny and delicate. If Daniel doesn't come soon, she may not survive much longer. I hate to lose my faith, but I've started thinking of the cruel truth of our situation. I'm also worried about Daniel. He should have been here by now, shouldn't he?" She wiped the tears from her face on her apron, and looked up at her husband, her eyes still glistening with unshed tears.

He quickly tallied the days in his mind and came to the conclusion that Daniel should be arriving that very day or the next. He didn't want to think about what he would do if something also happened to Daniel. With Alison so weak, and, having taken a turn for the worse during the night, he realized he couldn't move them again without jeopardizing her health. John wouldn't be able to go after Daniel, even if something _had_ happened. He sent a quick prayer to his Maker that Daniel would arrive safely soon and that Alison would hold on until then. There really was nothing more he could do.

Rachel's sobs had subsided, and she pulled away to return to the preparation of their breakfast. John wished there was something he could say or do that would ease her mind, but if there was, it eluded him. He returned to the task of starting the fire, but he paused long enough to say, "I have every confidence in Daniel. He _will_ be here." As the words came forth, he fervently hoped they were the truth.

**::~*~::**

Two hours later, John and Vincent were scouting around the edge of the woodland area they were encamped near, searching for the wood they needed to make the raft. While John wouldn't let Vincent anywhere near the ax he brought to fell the necessary trees, Vincent was more than content to carry the knapsack that held their lunch and fresh water. They weren't traveling far from the camp, but Rachel insisted on sending them off with some food in case they didn't make it back for a proper luncheon. At times, when they were very quiet, they could hear Rachel's voice as she sang lullabies to Alison while mending the family's clothing.

Vincent was taking to the father and son outing with relished delight as could be witnessed with his scampering over and under and all around the woods as he hurried to keep up with his father's longer stride. John had to call his attention plenty a time as he found trees that would suit his purpose. Of course, the entire point of bringing Vincent along would have been lost if John hadn't asked for his young opinion with every tree he found. Believing his father to be far wiser than himself, Vincent never disagreed with his father's choices, always proclaiming each tree to be better than the last, even the scrawny little tree that John had found and pointed out in jest.

By the end of the day, they had three sturdy logs of similar size, the beginning of their meager raft. Using the rope that he had coiled around his torso, John lashed the logs together and prepared to tow them back to the campsite. As he started along, with Vincent lending his small frame to help, he gave a quick prayer of thanksgiving that he had chosen to provide for his family in Pennsylvania as a logger. It had given him the upper body strength to pull these logs back to camp, though he made a mental note to bring the horse the following day so that he could conserve as much strength as possible for the cutting down of the trees.

Vincent quickly tired of dragging the logs and, because of how small he was, John situated him on top of the logs and pulled him along, turning it into an enjoyable ride for the boy. When they got back near the camp, John was momentarily confused by the sight of two horses grazing in the small patch of grass they had camped next to. It took a moment for the realization to sink in. "Daniel?" he whispered to himself.

He dropped the rope he had been holding on to and hurried into the camp, calling his brother's name. Vincent scrambled down off the logs behind him and hurried after his father, anxious to see his uncle again.

John skidded into the camp so fast, he almost fell head first into the fire. He wondered where everyone was as there wasn't a soul to be seen. Daniel appeared first, coming around the side of the wagon, and John ran to embrace his brother, grateful to see him after the many days apart. He was about to inquire after Rachel's whereabouts when a sound from the tent brought his attention there. Rachel appeared, quietly sealing the tent up behind her. She smiled at John as she moved closer to greet him.

"I've given Alison the medicine Daniel brought. She's sleeping now, but the color is already starting to return to her cheeks. I think he came just in time." She smiled gratefully at Daniel as she wrapped her arm around her husband's waist.

Daniel was content to stand there, basking in the praise from his brother's family. While he hadn't yet found a woman that he wanted to start his own family with, he loved his brother's family as if they were his own, caring for them as best he could. He prided himself on thinking that when the day did come that he found a loving wife and mother to their future family, he was going to be an excellent father with all the practice he was getting from John's family.

Remembering the logs he had left nearby, John asked for Daniel's help to move them into the site. There was at least an hour of sun left, and he felt that the sooner they started getting the raft prepared, the sooner they could move permanently to the island, though John really did not desire risking it until Alison was a little healthier. The roll of the ocean waves could be detrimental to the improvement of her health.

Once the logs were in the camp, John was eager to point the island out to his brother, but was dismayed to find that an evening fog had settled in, obscuring it from view. Instead, he provided great detail about his travels there and his plans for the land. Daniel found himself getting caught up in the excitement of his brother's enthusiasm and greatly desired for their removal to the island so that they could get started.


	3. Chapter 3

_One year later..._

John pounded the final nail into place, then reached up to wipe the sweat off of his brow as he leaned back, heedful of the edge. Between Daniel and himself, they had quickly raised a simple cabin up to shelter the family of five from the elements, especially since winter had come rapidly upon their heels after arriving on the island. It hadn't been anything fancy, just one large room which Rachel had separated into smaller areas with some linen sheets. John had insisted on building a loft as well, so that Daniel could have a private area separate from the rest of the family. Daniel had initially opposed the idea, not wanting extra effort spent on his behalf, but John had pointed out that the children would be apt to crawl all over the cabin, getting into all sorts of mischief and Daniel's possessions would be far safer if they were stored somewhere the children couldn't easily get to.

The cabin was located just inside the tree line off of the coast, but still within a stone's throw of the ocean's surf. As there had been no time to plant any seeds before the frost set in, they had been forced to subsist off of what edible plant life could be found in the woods, and what fish could be caught from the ocean, which was quite lucrative. Surprisingly, no large wildlife could be found on the island and John and Daniel had discussed bringing some deer over from the mainland to populate the wooded area and build up a small game group for hunting in future years. Daniel had also been lucky enough to find a small outpost a day's ride south of where they had sailed from the mainland, so whenever a few days of good weather could be guaranteed, before winter truly settled in, he had traveled to the outpost to pick up additional supplies to tie them over until spring.

Now, one year later, their small plot of cultivated land was infinitely more stable. A few luxuries had been added to the cabin to make it a little more comfortable, seeds had been planted, and the foundation had been marked and laid for the mansion-sized house John wanted to build for his family.

Satisfied with the work that had been completed, John climbed down the ladder and stood back to survey the final masterpiece. Early in the spring, Rachel had made an offhand comment, wishing for a small porch to sit on and enjoy the beauty of their surroundings, but to provide a little shelter from the sunshine. It may have been a wishful thought, but John didn't take it as such. Whenever it was within his power to grant his wife a gift, he would do it. He wasted no time in setting to work, building her a porch.

While he wasn't absolutely certain that no more improvements would be forthcoming, he was content with the house as it now stood, the main additions being the porch and the extension of the loft into a full second floor. He was quite anxious to get back to the large manor house he had envisioned.

"Pappi," a little voice said behind him. John whirled around to find Alison standing a few steps behind him, a blanket draped over her shoulders and one arm locked around a very careworn cloth doll her mother had made for her when she was still in the womb. John made every effort to shower his children with equal love and affection, but it wasn't hard to the outside observer that Alison was the apple of his eye. With her white blonde curls and ice blue eyes, she was the mirror image of her mother in every physical feature. Therefore, like her mother, she had captured his heart from the moment he laid eyes on her and he wasn't at all sorry for it.

Dropping to one knee, he held his arms wide open to her and she wasted no time in closing the distance between them, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck as he lifted her up into the air. She laughed in delight as he swung her around and around, but bursts of coughing were quickly interspersed with the laughs and John immediately slowed down their playtime. While Alison had recovered from her illness the year before, its long term control over her fragile body had left her with a weakened constitution. That didn't stop her from growing quite disappointed when her daddy slowed down and eventually came to a stop. What the illness had robbed her of in physical stamina seemed to have been redirected to her spirit.

John flipped her up and around to sit on his shoulders as he walked off into the woods, away from the house. After a couple of minutes, they had reached the clearing that Daniel and John had cleared for spring planting. The soil had been the best they had ever encountered and crops sprang out of the ground like never before. It was within the green foliage of the late summer crops that John sought for his wife. He found Vincent and Daniel first as they were near the edge of the field, harvesting one of the crops—John couldn't see which one it was from his vantage point, probably kale. Vincent, looking up, saw John and Alison and waved frantically at them. Daniel, catching his eye, tossed his head in the direction of the field before going back to work, Vincent right alongside him.

John turned to the field, seeking some evidence of movement before he plowed right in. The smaller crops had been planted around the edge of the field, with the higher growing crops planted in the center, but it was still a big area to cover. Finally, John caught sight of movement off to his right. Making a beeline for it, Alison urging him on like a pony, he finally located his wife.

Strands of hair loosened from her pins clung stubbornly to her sweat-covered face and neck. A few smudges of dirt dotted her cheeks, but her eyes sparkled from the exertion of hard work. Upon seeing her husband and daughter, she wiped her dirty hands on her apron as best she could before catching them in a tight embrace.

As Rachel pulled Alison down from John's shoulders, he looked around her at all the vegetables she had pulled from the plants. "You shouldn't have had to do this all by yourself."

"Now, John, I didn't do it all by myself. I had help from a couple of wonderful young men." She smiled as she held Alison propped up on her hip.

"Why don't we call it a day?"

Rachel's smile faded. "It's still very early in the afternoon and Daniel wanted to take the harvest from this week to the mainland tomorrow. Shouldn't we send as much off with him as possible to sell and barter with?"

John nodded, but still gestured for her to follow him. "A few bundles more or less to sell isn't going to make a huge difference, so let's not worry about it. Let's enjoy the rest of the day." As the soil had been very rich and had yielded bounteous crops all through the summer, Daniel had been taking the excess in boatloads to the mainland to sell. Due to the rich soil they had grown in, they were quickly becoming some of the most sought after crops by the little villages towns sprouting up along the coast.

John led the way out of the field and back into the welcome shade of the forest canopy. From their vantage point along the field's edge, Daniel and Vincent saw John emerge, followed by Rachel and Alison. Dropping their tools, they quickly followed, Daniel already suspecting what John was up to.

It was a short walk from the field to the house. When the house came into view, Rachel's hand went to her mouth in astonishment. The sun shone off of the light wood of the new porch, making it shine in the afternoon light. John was not a wasteful person and the trees that had been cut down to make room for planting had been used from everything to the construction of the house all the way down to carved wooden toys for the children.

"It's beautiful," she exclaimed, hugging John and then Daniel. Both had worked equally hard on putting up the porch, despite her protests that she didn't really need one.

"Come on, mama," Vincent cried, tugging on her dress. "Come up and see it." He ran on ahead, scampering over giant tree roots and small shrubs. Rachel laughed as she chased her son, making sure to keep her daughter secure in her arms. John and Daniel brought up the rear of the group. When the men reached the house, Vincent had already tugged a chair outside so that his mother could sit down and enjoy her new porch. Alison was sitting on her lap and Vincent was climbing up the railing that enclosed the porch all the way across.

Vincent hollered to his father and uncle, far louder than he needed to, "Mama says there's so much room that we can eat supper out here tonight."

Rachel got to her feet to give her husband another hug. "It's a beautiful evening for an outdoor supper."

John kissed the top of her head. "I couldn't agree with you more."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Because some people are sensitive to such things, I wanted to mention at the start of this chapter that there will be description of a stillbirth delivery in this chapter. Now, I've never given birth before (never even been pregnant), so my description of this delivery is based on **_**basic**_** research (emphasis on basic) I've done about labor and stillbirths. You have been cautioned. **

**::~*~::**

_Another year later…_

"Pappi! Pappi!" Alison's little voice echoed across the vast clearing, long before her body hove into view. She was running from the house and John dropped the hammer onto the ground and leapt down from the wooden frame he had been working on, fear clutching his heart. He was halfway across the field when he reached Alison, scooping her up into his arms as he sprinted down the well-worn pathway. Daniel had been pounding nails into the wooden frame of the large house when Alison had come into the clearing. Hopping down after John, he ran after them. The sense of urgency in Alison's voice could not be mistaken.

_Please let her be okay,_ John thought. A very pregnant Rachel was due to deliver their baby any day now, and John's worry was increasing as the days slipped by. Unlike her previous two pregnancies, this one was riddled with all sorts of complications. Rachel had fallen ill far more frequently than before and had required bed rest for much of this pregnancy. John didn't even want to think about that night in early spring, a raging thunderstorm whipping around the house, but despite his efforts to the contrary, the vivid memory came to the forefront of his mind.

**::~*~::**

"_John!" Rachel shook him vigorously. Blinking tired eyes, he turned over to look at his wife, her features illuminated by the bedside candle. Her features that were twisted in pain and anguish. Immediately awake, he sat up and put his arms around her. "Something's wrong!"_

_In the dim light of the candle, John couldn't see anything amiss. He jumped out of bed and quickly lit a blazing fire in the fireplace to illuminate the entire room. Only when he looked back at his wife in the brightness of the room did he see how pale her skin was…and how scarlet their bed sheets were. An obscene amount of red was staining her side of the bed and only seemed to be getting larger. "Daniel!" he hollered out the bedroom door. Since the brothers had completed the second floor of the house, they had divided the space up into separate bedrooms. Daniel had his own and so did each of the children. Not caring whether or not he woke Alison and Vincent, he called for his brother again. _

_Daniel, clad only in his bed clothes, appeared in the doorway. The confusion first apparent on his face was quickly replaced by horror as he saw his sister-in-law in the bed. "We need a doctor," John said, the weariness and fear evident in his voice. Neither of them spoke the obvious, that even if Daniel left immediately and crossed the water in the dead of night, it would still be several days before he could return with a doctor. Rachel's condition could be decided by then, for good or bad. Yet, they had to try. Daniel was already hurrying back to his room, stripping off his night clothes as he went. He quickly hurried and dressed in the warmest clothing he had before meeting John back in the hallway as he went downstairs. John hurriedly gave him instructions as they descended to the main floor._

**::~*~::**

John hurried through the front door and ran up the stairs two at a time, Alison still clutched in his arms. Daniel had returned from his dangerous journey into that storm's fury a week after he had left, doctor in tow. Rachel had remained very feverish and ill the entire time and John refused to let her leave her bed. The bleeding had blessedly stopped the same night it started, but John hadn't been a doctor. He had had no idea about his wife's health or the health of their unborn child. Rachel could give voice to her pains and ailments, but the unborn child had had no such voice. John had fretted the entire week about whether or not the child was still alive or not.

Bursting through the bedroom door, John was fearful of what he would find. The doctor was overdue in coming to attend to the birth and John wasn't confident in his own ability to see his wife safely through the labor alone. The doctor had come back in the spring to answer Daniel's pleas for help. Examining Rachel, he had announced that the child was yet alive, a miracle to his understanding if the amount of blood they had told him about was any indication. He prescribed strict bed rest with the occasional seat upon the porch if she strongly desired the fresh air of the outdoors, but that was limited to once per week. She was not to tax herself unduly, and John was given strict instructions to follow the doctor's orders to the letter. Rachel had not wanted to pull John away from building his dream house, so she promised him that she would send the children to fetch him if she needed anything. John was initially hesitant, but, by turning his children into mini spies, he was able to keep an eye on Rachel. Their reports indicated that Rachel slept most of the day, and when she was awake, she would read them stories, help them with their lessons, mend clothing and do just about anything else she could think of that would keep her in bed.

One evening out of the week found John carrying Rachel down the stairs so they could sit on the porch and watch the sun set. Vincent and Alison often put on theatricals for their parents, acting out princess fairy tales and dangerous quests to the amusement of their parents. Daniel often stayed out at the clearing until the last light faded from the sky, working tirelessly until he could no longer see the fingers waving in front of his face. When John asked him why he worked so intently for the benefit of John and his family, Daniel had merely replied, "I don't know what my dream is yet. The least I can do is help you build yours until I find mine."

Rachel was lying on the bed, sweat pouring down her face. She looked to be in tremendous pain, but she had yet to cry out, at least in John's presence. Poor Vincent was sitting by her bed looking terrified beyond belief, his face incredibly pale. John handed Alison off to Daniel and motioned for Daniel to get Vincent out of the room before the scene traumatized him more than it already had. Daniel suggested they go down to the beach to look for any sign of the doctor's arrival. As soon as the door closed behind Daniel, Vincent, and Alison, John's façade fell. He wanted to be strong, for Rachel's sake, but knew he was out of his depth. He prayed the most fervent prayer ever uttered from his lips, seeking strength and wisdom in ensuring the survival of his wife and child. Kneeling beside the bed, he grabbed his wife's hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

**::~*~::**

Daniel took the children down to the beach. Alison was singing softly to her doll, the lullaby being one she had heard her mother sing so often to her. Daniel smiled down at her, but the smile faded slightly as he turned to regard Vincent. The boy had yet to utter a word since they had found him beside his mother. He seemed to be lost in thoughts all his own and Daniel hadn't the faintest clue what to say to him or if he should say anything at all. Choosing to remain silent, he walked beside the young boy. In no time at all, they reached the beach. A quick scan of the horizon showed no boats anywhere to be seen, and Daniel's spirits fell. Where was the doctor?

Now torn between returning and assisting John and keeping the children away from the sounds he knew would soon accompany the imminent birth, he opted for the latter, merely in the hopes that Vincent would speak so Daniel could reassure him on whatever was troubling him. Vincent may only be eight years old, but he often astounded the adults with conversation that was years beyond him. Daniel was certain Vincent knew more about what was going on with his mother than he let on.

"Is she going to die?" Daniel's thoughts were broken with Vincent's words. Daniel looked intently at Vincent, weighing his words in his mind. Vincent was not looking for honeyed words; he wanted the truth. Daniel had to quickly decide if Vincent was mature enough for the truth. He decided he was.

"I don't know," he replied truthfully. He didn't know what to say beyond that. It seemed pointless to vainly hope for a better outcome, considering the circumstances. God was in control now.

"Vincent, can you watch your sister?" Daniel asked, kneeling in front of the boy. "I need to go see if I can help. Another pair of hands may make all the difference."

Vincent nodded. Daniel continued, "It's very important that you stay down here, no matter what you hear. Okay? It's a big responsibility, but you need to keep Alison from being afraid. Your father or I will come for you; otherwise, you need to stay here, unless you see the boat coming."

Vincent nodded again and Daniel got to his feet. Clapping the boy on the shoulder once, he turned and headed back up to the house.

**::~*~::**

Rachel, between bouts of pain and laborious pushes, told John what he needed to do, both then and throughout the birth. She wasn't a doctor in any respects of the term, but she'd been through this twice before, so she knew enough to give basic orders. Besides, if John's face was any indication, he was desperately in need of guidance, even if it was coming from his laboring wife.

She had quickly directed him to heat up some water and find some clean linens. For lack of anything better to use, she'd instructed him to sterilize his belt knife by placing it in the fire he used to heat the water and then wrapping it in a clean linen cloth after it had cooled down a bit. She'd only had a few precious moments to guide him before the needs of her child took over her body and she found herself concentrating only on pushing. Concentrating on the task at hand, she didn't notice Daniel slip into the room.

John looked absolutely helpless, but Daniel wasn't much better off. Coming up behind his brother, Daniel asked what he could do to help, mentioning that there was no sight of any boats offshore. John's spirits sagged with his shoulders. It was up to them.

Rachel screamed in pain as she pushed with all of her might. John knelt at the end of the bed, unsure of what to do, but suspecting he was in the right area to help. The next push revealed the crown of the baby's head and John immediately got his hands positioned under the head, to cradle it as it came out. A few more pushes furthered the child's progression very little, but Rachel exerted all of her willpower into one great push and the entire head suddenly appeared. John, in spite of the terror of having to do this himself, smiled at the sight of his child's head. The sex of the child was still unknown, but it wouldn't remain a mystery for much longer. John's smile faded into one of horror as he realized the skin, under all of the blood, was an ashen gray. John's eyes lifted to Rachel's face, but she was oblivious to his horror, her eyes screwed up in concentration. He turned his head to look at Daniel and Daniel's features mirrored his own. Even Daniel knew something was very wrong.

Rachel screamed once more as she pushed again. The tiny body moved a little bit more into the world and John immediately saw what was wrong. The cord that attached the child to its mother, sustaining it with life while in the womb, was stealing that life away. John desperately tried to slide his fingers between the cord and the neck of the tiny child, but the cord was wrapped so tightly, he couldn't get his fingers in to loosen it. He dared not cut the cord until the child was fully out, so he urged his wife to keep pushing. The tone of John's voice cut through Rachel's pain-filled world and she knew something was wrong. Gathering up every ounce of strength she yet possessed, she pushed with all of her might before collapsing back onto the bed. The child, another boy, slipped silently into the world. John grabbed frantically for the knife and cut through the cord much like he would cut through a piece of rope. He had no idea how he was supposed to cut it; all he knew was that it was strangling the life of his son and he had to fix that.

Having no strength even to lift her head, Rachel strained her ears to listen for the cries of her newborn child, even as tears started streaming from her eyes. John had been told that if the child didn't make a sound when it was born, he was supposed to thump it on the backside. Rachel hadn't had time to tell him why, but he followed her instructions. He held his son's body along his left forearm and used his right hand to thump the back. He had no idea how hard he was supposed to hit, and he certainly didn't want to break the fragile body. He thumped again harder and again a little harder.

Seconds slipped into minutes.

Rachel, spying Daniel standing at the foot of the bed, called him to her to help her sit up. Her child, whose sex she didn't even know, wasn't making a sound. She had to see what was happening. Daniel slid onto the bed behind her and helped her to sit up, her exhausted body leaning against his own. Her world spinning dizzily around her, she shook her head wearily to clear the spinning sensation and fight off the exhaustion that was imminent. Forcing her eyes to focus on her husband, she struggled against Daniel's helping hold as she tried to will her weakened body to her husband's side. Having no success, she pleaded with her husband to bring her child to her. By this time, John was weeping, certain that the child could not be revived. He placed the tiny body into his wife's arms.

Through eyes blurred with tears, Rachel looked down on her child—a son—lying in her arms so silent and still. Daniel and John both looked on in amazement as Rachel flipped the body over and started thumping on the back, actions mirroring those of her husband just a few moments before, but increasing in intensity, to a harshness that John had not dared to attempt. After several long seconds of watching this display, John finally pulled the child away from her blows.

"No! No! No!" Rachel cried out, but John knew it wasn't towards him. Rachel was crying to a God who had taken her child's life away, not even allowing him a breath of this world's air. John walked around the bed to place the child tenderly in the wooden cradle by the bedside before returning to his wife's side, relieving his brother of the position he held behind her. Once Rachel had been transferred to John's comforting arms, Daniel stood and looked down on the sad scene in front of him. Rachel was sobbing into her husband's arms and even John had tears streaming down over his cheeks and dripping down onto his wife's hair. Daniel retreated from the room, closing the door softly behind him. The adrenaline that had been pumping through his veins throughout the delivery seemed to finally drift away, leaving him tired and filled with sorrow. He slid down the wall outside of the bedroom, having no strength left to stand. Tears threatened to overwhelm him and he was about to give in when he remembered the two other children down near the water's edge.

Hauling himself to his feet, he stumbled down the stairs, his mind completely blank with regards to what he would tell them.

**::~*~::**

John threw his weight into swinging the hammer down on the fragile wooden post. The crack of the metal head impacting the wooden post echoed around the boles of trees and Rachel gasped in sorrow. Another swing of the hammer, another crack of the post, and another gasp. John dropped the hammer to the ground and fell to his knees on the softly churned dirt. He leaned over until his face was pressed against the dirt covered mound, a howl of outrage smothered by the earth. Tender hands slipped over his shoulders and gentle arms encircled his chest. Rachel hugged her husband, two grieving parents seeking solace in each other. John lifted his head up to fall back into a kneeling position, his wife kneeling next to him. Bits of dirt clung to his face, bathed in a thin sheen of moisture. His arm around her shoulders, they both looked down on the small mound, the only reminder of Benjamin's brief time on earth. Rachel dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief and laid her head on John's shoulder. Eventually John was going to put a permanent headstone over the grave, but for now, the simple wooden cross would have to suffice. It was small and crude and John felt it was too hastily constructed, not what he wanted for his son.

It had been a week since Benjamin had been born still and silent and the grief was still too much for the small family. The doctor had arrived two days after the stillbirth to find a broken and grieving family. Through tears and more than one word spoken in anger, John had given the doctor the details of the birth. While it gave them no comfort to hear it, the doctor determined that even had he been there, he would not have been able to save the babe. He estimated that the cord had wrapped around the neck long before the labor had ever started.

"Is Ben with Jesus now?" Alison's little voice came from her mother's other side. Rachel nodded as she wrapped her other arm around her daughter, the little girl kneeling in the dirt next to her parents. Vincent, not wanting to be left out, dropped to his knees on his father's side. Daniel felt like an intruder on the scene and had turned to slip away, but Rachel reached out a hand to him, inviting him to join their circle. He gave a weak smile before kneeling next to them. Little Alison offered a sweet, heartfelt prayer on behalf of her young brother as the sun slowly descended behind the trees, the last rays illuminating a broken family on its way to healing.


	5. Chapter 5

_Four years later…_

Daniel couldn't help but whistle as he guided the horse and heavily laden wagon along the forest trail towards the manor house. He had just arrived back from the mainland with the last load of supplies for the grand house, but there was far more to account for his cheerful persona. Not only was the house almost finished, but it was far greater than even John had dared to imagine. After working on the house for two years with no outside help, John had seen the wisdom in hiring workers, so he had accompanied Daniel on a few trips to the mainland the last three summers to hire help. John hadn't returned to the mainland since he had first transported his family to the island. Daniel had done all of the traveling across the water for everything that they had needed, so when John had taken his first trip back to the mainland, he had been surprised to see how many settlements had sprung up along the coastline. Daniel seemed to know where all the closest settlements were, so John followed his lead as they traveled for supplies and hired hands.

No, Daniel was cheerful because he finally felt like his own life had purpose and direction. He loved his brother and his brother's family. He had watched his brother and sister-in-law overcome the ups and downs that life had thrown at them. He had watched his nephew and niece grow up over the years. He was as endeared to the whole family as they were to him, but there was a pang that had started growing in his chest since they had moved to this island and started construction on the manor house. He had always longed for a family of his own, maybe some land of his own, and even his own dream to achieve.

The previous summer had set his feet upon that path. That was the summer he had met Elizabeth. Elizabeth Carter was the daughter of the blacksmith at Willow's Mill, the little village that had sprung up closest to the island. Her father, Samuel Carter, had proven himself to be an honest tradesman and had thus earned the business of the Harper brothers. The Harper name had spread up and down the coast as a name worthy of trust and respect, with a little bit of wealth thrown into the mix from years of thrifty living and excellent trading. Samuel Carter was delighted when the young, eligible Harper brother had started paying court to his daughter. It didn't take long for him to realize that his daughter was smitten with the young gentleman and it was quite apparent the feelings were reciprocated. Samuel didn't mind that Daniel's visits to the mainland were usually unexpected and far between. It seemed to only strengthen the blossoming romance.

The trees thinned up ahead and sunshine broke through, illuminating the trail right up to the massive house. Daniel could make out John walking down the front steps of the house, then turn and gaze up at the roof. Daniel wondered what had captured his brother's attention, but he couldn't tell from this distance. Urging the horse on, he pulled the wagon up to the front, his brother still gazing upwards, giving no indication that he had heard Daniel's approach.

"What's wrong?" Daniel asked, his eyes scouring the façade of the building.

"Nothing," John replied softly. "I just can't believe it's finally real." He swung his eyes down to look at his brother. "I couldn't have done it without you." Daniel beamed from his brother's verbal praise.

Having no idea what to say that wouldn't turn this moment into a less-than-masculine moment, Daniel patted the side of the wagon and said, "Well, let's make it a finished reality."

**::~*~::**

"You've been awfully cheerful since you've been back," Rachel said as she placed the fresh baked bread on the table. The family was sitting down to their last meal in the cabin before moving up to the house the following day and the atmosphere was quite light-hearted. Even so, Rachel had still noticed Daniel's unusual exuberance.

He pretended not to hear as he took a few bites of the evening meal.

"Uncle Daniel!" Alison exclaimed, "Why are you so happy?"

He took another bite and slowly chewed it. He finally smiled as he swallowed the bite. "Alright, I suppose I should let you in on my little secret." He raised his cup to his lips and took a drink.

"Uncle Daniel," Alison said in her best angelic little girl voice, "are you in love?"

Despite the fact that the eight-year-old girl hit on it exactly, Daniel still didn't expect those words to come out of her mouth. He started choking on his water and Vincent, who was sitting next to him, started beating him on the back. He finally expelled the water from his lungs and wiped his mouth with his napkin. "What made you ask that?" he choked out.

Alison was not to be deterred. "Well, am I right?" She hugged her ever present doll to her chest as she spooned a mouthful of potatoes into her mouth.

Daniel hesitated, sneaking a glance to John and Rachel on both sides of him. "As a matter of fact, I am."

Alison was so happy that she jumped to her feet, her doll falling forgotten to the floor as she raced around the table to hug her beloved uncle, throwing herself onto his lap. "Is she pretty like an angel? Does she have blue eyes like me? Does she like to play with little girls? When can we meet her? Are you going to marry her?"

"Alison!" her mother's tone cut right through her child-like interrogation. She looked sheepishly at her mother from underneath her eyelashes before turning back to her uncle and looking at him expectantly.

"I want to make sure I answer all your questions, so you let me know if I miss any. I certainly think Elizabeth is as beautiful as an angel. She doesn't have blue eyes like yours, but they're a lovely brown, like chocolate." He grinned as he poked her nose. "I'm sure she loves playing with little girls, especially blonde-haired, blue-eyed ones." Alison gasped with delight. "And I'd like for her to come meet all of you as soon as we finish moving you all up to the house."

"What do you mean 'us all'?" Vincent asked quietly. "Aren't you moving up there with us?"

Daniel licked his lips in hesitation. "Actually I was hoping that I could stay here, in this little house. Maybe I could start my own family here someday."

Vincent threw his napkin down on the table. "There's plenty of room up there," he said indignantly as he jumped to his feet. "We could all live there. Together!" He stormed out of the room.

"Oh dear," Rachel said, as she got to her feet and left the room after her angry son. The room was left in stunned silence for several moments. Alison's happiness at Daniel's news had diminished with Vincent's violent outburst, but she continued to sit quietly on her uncle's lap.

John cleared his throat, "You, um, didn't answer the last question."

Daniel tried to decipher the tone of his brother's voice, seeking to see if he was happy for him or angry like Vincent was. He couldn't tell, so he just answered. "I want to. I want to seek her father's permission on my next trip back and invite them both here to the island for a week."

Alison was nodding her head vigorously. John smiled at his daughter's enthusiasm. "Mr. Carter and his daughter are more than welcome to come to the island." If Daniel hadn't grown up in his brother's company his entire life, he may have been dismayed at John's apparent lack of excitement, but Daniel knew his brother was curbing his own happiness, as Alison seemed to be happy enough for the whole family.

John abruptly rose from his chair at the sound of a door slamming upstairs, but Daniel waved him back to his seat. Sliding Alison off of his lap, he stood up. "I should probably talk to him. I'm sure it's my fault he's acting like this."

John hesitated. "He has no right to act like that towards you."

"I know. I'll talk to him."

Daniel hurried up the stairs to where Rachel was standing on the landing outside of Vincent's closed door. Her forehead was pressed against the door and she was speaking quietly to her son through it, pleading with him to talk to her. Daniel was amazed in that moment how much his sister-in-law had aged in recent years. She still retained the beauty of her youth, but lines were becoming frequent residents around her mouth and eyes. He put a hand on her shoulder and motioned with a toss of his head that he would take it from here. Rachel nodded and silently retreated down the stairs to finish her meal.

Daniel took a deep breath before he knocked purposefully on the door. "Vincent, open the door."

To his surprise, the door flew open and Vincent's red face appeared in front of him. "Why do you have to change everything? Aren't you happy with us?" Vincent turned around and stormed over to his bed, sitting with his back to Daniel and his face turned to the wall.

"Of course I'm happy with you, and your sister, and your parents."

"Then why do you want to change it? We can be happy like we've always been."

Daniel sighed. "Vincent, I am happy here. I could never replace the memories I've had being here, and I would never want to, but I've seen how happy my brother is with his family, with you, and I feel that I've been missing out by not having a family of my own. At the end of the day, I'm just your uncle. I want to be a father. I want to be a husband. I want to have children of my own, because I know that they will have the best cousins that they can look up to and play with." Daniel moved into the room and sat on the other side of the bed, his body turned so he could watch Vincent. Vincent's shoulders slumped and Daniel thought he was gaining ground with the young boy until his shoulders squared off and he turned around in anger.

"You're going to go off and get married and start your own family and forget all about us. You may stick around for a little while, but in the end, you'll leave."

Daniel silently cursed this island, probably the only time he had ever done so. Living on the island, their existence was so isolated, their contact with civilization so limited. They had been blessed by John and Daniel's intuition and scrutiny to hire only the best and most trustworthy workers, so the children had never come into contact with anyone wishing harm upon their family. Even the trials that the Harper family had had to endure seemed few and far between—Alison's severe illness when she was two and Benjamin's stillbirth four years before. Vincent and Alison had no idea how cruel and uncaring the outside world could be. Daniel had no idea where this idea of abandonment had come from, and he was failing miserably in trying to get Vincent to see his point of view.

"I love this island. I have no intention of ever leaving here. I'll only be as far away as the distance between the house and here and that's a distance that you and your sister know very well. You've traveled that trail for years, even smoothing the path down with your bare feet as you've raced back and forth along it." Daniel chuckled a little. "Besides, I haven't even asked her yet. She could just as easily say no."

Vincent turned disappointed eyes his uncle. "You're too careful, Uncle Daniel. You wouldn't ask her if you didn't already know the answer." He turned back to the wall, and Daniel knew without another word that the conversation was over. He stood up and walked to the door.

"I'll leave you to think about it."

Descending the stairs to the main floor, he found the rest of the family still gathered around the table, eating in silence. Rachel looked up hopefully when he entered the room, but her face fell when she realized that Vincent wasn't with him. Daniel plucked his hat off of the rack by the door and placed it on his head. "I think I'd like to give him some time and space to think about this. My presence here may be detrimental to him working this out."

Rachel came to her feet. "Where are you going? Certainly not back to the mainland at this hour. He'll be fine. Please, just stay here."

Daniel smiled, "I'm not crazy enough to brave the water at this time of night." Grabbing his overcoat off of the peg near the door, he slipped it over his shoulders. "Actually there are a few last minute things I wanted to finish up at the house so that it's perfect for you tomorrow. Surprises for you all. I'll just stay up there tonight and sleep in the wagon that is still there."

Rachel grabbed up a clean linen cloth and wrapped the rest of the bread in it. "Don't be absurd!" she replied. "If you're going up there to do a little more work, at least sleep in the house." She held out the small bundle to him.

He gratefully accepted it and leaned over to kiss her quickly on the cheek. "That house was built for you and your family. I wouldn't dream of spending the night there before you. I'll be just fine."

Rachel looked anxiously past him to the darkened night outside. "It looked awfully dark before the sun went down. I fear we may be in for some rain tonight. You'll catch your death."

"I'll be just fine." He repeated as he stooped over to kiss Alison on the head, the young girl having come up behind her mother to bid her uncle farewell. John squeezed Daniel's shoulder, his eyes urging him to stay the night in the cabin. "I'll be fine," Daniel repeated again before disappearing into the night.

**::~*~::**

Daniel drew the rough paper over the horse's nose, rubbing out the last bit of roughness to give the horse a smooth appearance. Alison was going to be so delighted with the gift he had made for her. He had managed to conceal his planned surprise even from John, despite the fact that they were both up here so often together.

Packing up his little bundle of tools, he swept away the wood shavings and dust, leaving the room as immaculate as it was intended for its future occupant. Pausing by Vincent's future room, he opened the door and went inside. His hands, calloused by years of hard work, drifted across the top of the chest of drawers he had made for Vincent. His fingers traced the lines of the pictures he had carved into the surface of each drawer. Daniel had always had an affinity for drawing and sketching, though he rarely had found time to devote to the pastime. However, he had painstakingly carved images from Vincent's life into the wood, happy memories that would always bring a smile to his face.

Daniel sat down on the floor in front of the chest of drawers and ran his hands over the smooth bottom drawer. He had intentionally left it blank so that he could carve some future memory that had yet to be created, perhaps a memorable day once the family moved into the house. He sighed. Would there be any happy memories with Vincent now? Or would the young boy completely shut his uncle out of his life over some imagined betrayal?

Daniel got to his feet and left the room, a firm resolve that something would be carved into that bottom drawer before the year was out.

Exiting the house, he noted that the smell of rain was heavy upon the night air, but no drops had graced the ground yet. Grabbing the heavy blanket that had been used earlier in the day to cover the supplies as he transported them from the boat to the house, he crawled under the wagon and made himself as comfortable as possible on the hard ground underneath. The grass was soft and offered a little bit of comfort, but the hardness of the ground made it impossible to find a comfortable spot. After tossing and turning for several minutes, Daniel finally fell into a restless sleep, his dreams haunted by the members of his brother's family turning against him, one by one, for his decision to marry.

**::~*~::**

Daniel woke up coughing, his throat dry and gasping for water. Crawling out from under the wagon, he flailed around until he found his water skin. Draining it dry, he continued coughing before he finally regained control of his breathing. Taking a few deep breaths, he noticed something strange in the air. He could barely discern the scent of rain as it was hidden under another, more prominent, scent. It took him several seconds before he realized what he was smelling. Smoke.

Scrambling to his feet, he looked worriedly towards the house, afraid that he had forgotten to put out one of the candles he had used and it had started a fire. To his relief, nothing seemed to be amiss. That begged the question of where the smell of smoke was coming from. Daniel felt as though a bucket of icy water had just been thrown all over him. There was only one other option. Spinning in place, he looked towards the forest where, against the still-night sky, he saw an orange glow.

"No," he whispered in fear. Taking off at a full run, he flew down the path, barely heedful of tree roots and plants that tried to trip him up, succeeding a few times. Screaming out four names as he ran, he prayed with all of his might that everyone was safe. When the cabin came into view, he knew it was too late. The cabin was barely more than a wooden frame, the fire having burned away the roof and many of the walls, the still raging flames licking up the wooden beams that were still standing. As though the devil himself were taking immense delight in his too late arrival, the beams and walls that had still been standing, crumbled to the ground in front of him, extinguishing many of the flames, but the fire burned on. Daniel fell on his face in despair, tears spilling from his eyes. His voice still hoarse from all the screaming he had done moments before, he still screamed in agony at the realization that those most precious to him had been stolen away in the night.

Time passed cruelly, minutes ticking away as he lay there on the ground, the tears never ending, his voice groaning in anguish as he pleaded with God to ensure that even one had survived the fire. He beat his fists upon the ground, but when he lifted his head, the smoldering wreckage was still there, taunting him.

A drop splashed onto his cheek. He wiped it away in anger. Another drop hit his neck, followed rapidly by another and another. Soon the heavens had opened up and poured forth a torrent of rain. The flames were quickly extinguished, and the brokenhearted man on the ground was quickly soaked, but Daniel didn't move. He was still there when the sun broke across the sky three hours later.

Bitterness had taken root in his soul. Cursing God upon high, he swore he would never be happy again.


	6. Chapter 6

_Ten years later…_

Elizabeth Johnson hurried along the road, paying careful attention to keeping the long skirts of her dress above the muddy ground while managing the basket on her arm. A fierce storm had blown across the island during the night, snapping limbs from trees and littering the small town's open spaces with debris ripped from houses and buildings. The townspeople were out in numbers to assist with the cleanup efforts of getting their town put back together and Elizabeth was hurrying to her father's shop to get some tools he needed to extract a massive tree limb from off of a house.

So focused were her eyes on the ground that she didn't notice the figure in front of her until she had run into him. "Excuse me," she quickly apologized, her eyes rising to look at the man most unfortunate to have been trod upon by her.

"Elizabeth!" Daniel Harper's face showed surprise, before his customary expression of indifference dropped into place. He quickly corrected himself as he lifted his hat off to her, "Excuse me. Mrs. Johnson. I was not aware that you were on the island."

"My apologies for bumping into you. I was not watching where I was going." She hesitated. "My husband is traveling back east on some business and, rather than keeping house alone, I decided to come visit my father. It's been so long since I've seen him." Elizabeth had long since accepted that she no longer figured into Daniel's life, or heart, but seeing him now, the long since dissipated feelings of her first romance bloomed within her again. Frightened that she might say or do something improper, she bobbed a small curtsy before excusing herself and rushed away.

Practically flying through the door of her father's workshop, she slammed it behind her. Sobs wracked her body as she tried to keep her composure, her back supported by the door behind her. She had believed those feelings to have died a long time ago, but every time she saw him, they came flooding back. Maybe she shouldn't have come back. In letters from her father, she had surmised that Daniel kept to the large manor house on the interior of the island, rarely venturing out to the town that he had allowed to grow up on the shoreline, providing steady income to him. As the island's mayor, it was expected to see him occasionally in the town on business, but Elizabeth believed those instances to be few and far between as he kept an office at the manor to conduct the business of the island. She had hoped that her presence on the island would have gone unnoticed.

Remembering her purpose in coming to the workshop, she bustled around, grabbing the necessary tools and putting them into her basket. Her hand had closed around a coil of rope when she remembered something from her surprise meeting with Daniel. The look in his eyes when they first recognized each other before the mask of the gentleman dropped into place. She could have sworn she still saw love in his eyes.

**::~*~::**

Daniel watched Elizabeth move off down the street until she disappeared into the blacksmith's shop. He had been thoroughly surprised when the young lady he had collided with had lifted her head and Elizabeth's eyes were looking back at him. He had been so surprised that he had called her by her Christian name, something he hadn't done since he had courted her.

_Ten years,_ he thought. _It's been ten years._ Yet he could still remember it all as though it had just happened yesterday. He had been on the verge of asking her for her hand in marriage. He had returned home that fateful day, desirous of spreading the good news with John and his family…

Daniel turned and hastened along the side of the nearest house to the forest just beyond. Once he was past the tree line, he broke into a slow jog which quickly turned into a run, putting distance between himself and the town. He didn't want anyone to see him break down, and break down he did. When he couldn't run anymore, he collapsed to his knees, the crushing weight of guilt washing over him. Countless times before, and perhaps times to come, he wished that he could have been there, in the cabin that night. Had he been there, he could have saved them…or perished with them. Instead, he alone survived, simply because he hadn't been there. He'd made an angry promise that night, one that he had stubbornly kept through the years.

He didn't go back to the mainland for a very long time. With the house completed, fresh water from the island's many streams, and crops to spare, he cut himself off from the world. Despite the abundance of nourishment, Daniel had attempted to starve himself many times after several weeks of tortured nights and guilt-ridden days. He would have succeeded had not Samuel Carter arrived on the island, seeking the lost suitor of his daughter. On the day of Daniel's departure back to Harper's Island, as the island had come to be known after the brothers settled there, Elizabeth had been bursting with the news of whispered promises made the evening before of marriage and a future together with her beloved. Samuel had been happily prepared to give his blessing to the union and father and daughter waited anxiously for the young man's return. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, and no word ever came from the island. Samuel finally closed up his blacksmith's shop for a time and took a small boat out to the island. He was the first person to set foot upon the shore since Daniel had brought the last load of supplies over for the house. He was the first person to learn of the terrible tragedy. In his quest for Daniel, he happened across the blackened wreckage of splintered and broken wood, slowly being reclaimed by the forest. A stone's throw beyond that, Samuel discovered five crudely made wooden crosses, names carved into the cross beams, one standing apart from the others. John. Rachel. Vincent. Alison. The cross standing apart bore the name Benjamin.

Samuel had come to the island to discover the mysterious disappearance of his daughter's beloved, but now he was frantic to discover what tragedy had befallen the Harper family. He found Daniel, unconscious under a wagon near the manor. He nursed the young man back to health, but the young man who slowly regained his health was not the same man that Samuel had known. He had been replaced by a broken and tormented man, intent on flaying himself with a mental whip of anguish and guilt.

A strangled cry escaped Daniel's mouth and he pushed a fist to his lips, his teeth biting down on his flesh. The demands he had placed upon Samuel after the kind blacksmith had nursed him back to health had been cruel, to say the least. He had asked Samuel to leave the island, leaving Daniel behind, and to relay his regrets to Elizabeth. He could no longer marry her. Samuel, of course, tried to change Daniel's mind, but Daniel wouldn't listen. He had replied, quite coldly, that if Samuel would not do it for Daniel, Daniel would do it himself and he would not be kind to her. Any father would rightly have been incensed at such rude behavior, but not Samuel. Samuel had understood the pain all too well, having lost his own wife, Elizabeth's mother, when the child had only been five years of age. Samuel left the island and no boats traveled to and from Harper's Island for a year, until Daniel had returned to the mainland.

Prior to his death, John had started taking bids from potential renters for the land he held the deed for on the island. He had determined it was a good investment in that it would bring money in and it would also provide for companionship for his family so they would know people beyond their little circle. He was adamant that nothing would be done until his family had moved to the house, but he had started putting those plans into motion. Daniel had come to continue what his brother had started.

Samuel had jumped at this opportunity, if for no other reason than to bring Elizabeth back into Daniel's life. He moved his daughter and his blacksmith shop to the island, one of the first to settle there. Daniel reacted by treating Elizabeth cordially, but nothing more. He did not renew the courtship with Elizabeth and Elizabeth, distraught that Daniel had rejected her, returned to the mainland for an extended stay with her mother's sister in one of the more populated towns further down the coast. Within a few months, she had married and Samuel had often wondered if his daughter truly loved her husband or if her heart remained with Daniel and she had married Joseph simply because he was the first to court her after Daniel.

When Daniel had first heard about Elizabeth's marriage to another, the news pierced his heart like a splinter, festering as the years went by. In a morbid way, he relished the news. It would ensure that he would never be happy again.

As the town on Harper's Island grew, everyone seemed content with their life there. Their town mayor may have been regarded as something of a recluse, but he was a fair leader and he always came to the aid of anyone in need. People that were living within his realm of influence were happy, even if he was not, though he took great pains to hide it.

Elizabeth had often asked her father why he remained on the island. He stayed for Daniel. Daniel had no one in the world to look out for him, since he so stubbornly refused to get married, and since the tragedy had affected him so deeply, Samuel did not trust leaving Daniel to his own devices. Samuel stayed in a vain attempt to get Daniel to do more than just exist in this world; he was trying to help him truly live in it again.

Daniel got to his feet and slowly made his way back toward the town. The people still needed his help digging out from the storm damage. He couldn't let her drive him into solitude just to escape her. He needed to continue with his duties. He may have tended towards a more bureaucratic lifestyle since the town had started to prosper, but the hard work he had done in his youth had given him a strength that couldn't easily be lost and his ability to lift heavy objects would be sorely needed during this time of rebuilding. He looked down at his hands. It had been a long time since he had really, truly worked with his hands. Not since…he paused in mid-step. Not since he had carved the last drawer in Vincent's dresser.

**::~*~::**

_Four weeks later…_

Daniel was sitting on the floor of the upstairs room, staring blankly at the object in front of him. The knocker on the front door of the house thundered through the massive building, but Daniel didn't move. He sat there, wishing whoever it was would go away and leave him be. Instead of leaving, Daniel heard the front door open.

"Hello? Daniel?" The voice. _That_ voice! Why was she here? What did she want? When he had first run into her after the storm, he had been surprised to see her there. She had said she was visiting her father and he had assumed she would only be there for a week, or two, at the most. Four weeks later, she was finally preparing to depart on the morning tide. He couldn't wish her off the island fast enough. He truly meant no ill will towards her; her guarded nature towards him was a result of his harsh ending of their youthful romance so many years ago, and thoroughly deserved, but the splinter in his heart that had come from the news of her wedding seemed to twitch within his breast every time he saw her these past four weeks. It was painfully obvious to each of them that they tried to avoid each other as much as possible, but fate plied her torturous trade and constantly found them thrown into company with each other.

Now she was purposely seeking him out. He hoped she wasn't so naïve to seek a formal farewell from him.

"Daniel?" Her voice sounded so unsure as though she wasn't sure she had the right to address him by his given name. He could hear her footsteps echoing through the rooms below. Curiosity temporarily drove away any anger that may have come from her trespassing upon his private domain, but it festered beneath the surface that she would dare enter his home uninvited, and, dare he think it, unwanted.

He crept silently to the door and stood in the doorway, his ears straining for the sound of her below. She was in the formal dining room. He walked quietly to the top of the staircase and waited for her to pass by. She did momentarily, still looking about the ground level of the house.

"What are you doing here?" She jumped, not expecting him to just be there.

"I needed to speak with you before I left in the morning."

The sun was low in the west, drawing shadows across the rooms. The staircase was situated so that a wall rose up on the west side, throwing the stairs into darkness. Elizabeth could only see the silhouette of him at the top of the stairs. She stepped up a few steps before stopping.

"We have nothing to say to one another. Please see yourself out." He turned to walk away, but her words stopped him.

"You may very well hate me after I say what I came here to say, but it doesn't matter anymore. I have no intention of ever returning to this island, so this will be the last time I see you." She climbed the stairs up to just a step or two beneath him—the shadows made it difficult to determine how close she was to the landing.

"And this conversation, this need to speak to me that will cause me to hate you, are you absolutely certain you wish to say it?"

There was no hesitation in her voice when she replied that she was sure. He turned away and started walking down the upstairs hallway, and, after a brief pause, Elizabeth followed him. He hadn't ordered her out of the house again, so she took this to mean that she should follow him. He opened one of the many doors off of the hallway and waited for her to precede him into the room.

It was a small sitting room that faced the west where Elizabeth could see the sun slowly sinking beneath the horizon. The room was furnished in mahogany wood and emerald green fabric with gold trim around the room. It was quite beautiful. In fact, Elizabeth found the entire house quite beautiful and she said so.

"Of course it's beautiful. My brother poured his heart and soul into it and God stole him and his family away before they could spend even one night here. How is that for fate and destiny?" Daniel's voice was bitter and Elizabeth realized how ever present the tragedy still was to him. She had come to this house knowing that she was going to make Daniel angry and, while she still intended to speak what was on her mind, she pitied him and the position she was going to put him in.

"You loved him very much, didn't you?"

"He was my older brother. I looked up to him and respected him. A more honest man you couldn't find within a hundred miles of here." He poured a glass of water for himself and Elizabeth, holding her glass out to her. Unlike most menfolk of the time, Daniel had never developed a liking for alcohol of any kind. On their journey west, he had seen what alcohol had done to the men and occasional women who had imbibed a little too much. It was a disgusting sight that he never wanted anyone to see in him.

"I wish I could have met him. Anyone that you hold in high esteem is someone well worth meeting."

"So far, I have heard nothing that would give me any indication to hate you, Mrs. Johnson. Please arrive at the reason for your visit."

The use of her married name brought her back to the reason for her visit. She carefully set the glass on a side table. "Very well." She took a deep breath. "I had the good fortune to know you before that tragic accident that took your brother's life. I saw how it changed you into a completely different person than the man I once knew."

Daniel's hand tightened around the glass he held in his hand. His back was to Elizabeth and he was looking out the window to the west, watching the sun sink beyond the forest across the clearing. Everything she was saying was truth. In those lingering days close to death when he had made up his mind regarding the termination of their courtship, he had known that this tragedy would follow him around for the rest of his life. He had broken it off as much to give her a chance at a happy future as he had done it to honor that promise he had sworn before the still smoldering wreckage.

"Is this really how your brother would have wanted you to live your life? Surrounded by perpetual grief and a stubborn refusal to allow any happiness into your life? I may have never met him, but I can't think that this is the life he wanted for you."

"You're right; you never met him and you have no idea what he would have wanted." Even as he said it, he knew that she was right. Long before John knew about Elizabeth, he and Daniel had spent hours talking about Daniel's bright future as they worked on the house. John would often tease his brother about the various antics he could expect when he had children of his own. Daniel would tease back that he had lived long enough with John's children, so he would be prepared against anything his own children could dream up. John would always respond with a secretive smile, as though he knew something that Daniel didn't, but he would never press the topic.

Elizabeth persisted. "It would be a far better way to honor his memory by living a life that would have made you happy rather than clinging to an oath made vainly in the depths of your despair."

Daniel turned to regard her coldly. "How do you know about that?" There was no way she should have known about that promise, unless… His mind went back to his reckless desire for the release that death would have offered him, back to when Samuel had found him… Had he murmured in his delirious state of mind to the kindly father-figure?

Elizabeth recoiled from the icy glare. Now she wasn't sure she had made the right choice in coming here. She stood up and turned towards the door. "I loved you once and I know that you loved me, too, but we can never go back to what we once were. All I want now is for you to be happy. For the sake of the man I once cared about, I just want to see you happy again. Not content, but truly happy. I had hoped that, despite our past, we could part as friends, but I suspect that may be asking too much of you. I bid you good evening and a happy life." She opened the door and quickly fled the oppressive tension that had filled the small sitting room. Walking briskly along the landing, an open door caught her eye. Too apprehensive to pay much attention earlier, she had failed to notice the door and the room beyond, but the flickering shadows from a still burning candle illuminated a chest of drawers and she paused in her stride, turning aside to step into the room, the object proving magnetic to her stride.

The images carved into each drawer had caught her attention. She stepped closer, her fingers reaching out to trace the pictures. It was very easy to see what the images were of, her mouth turning into a frown as she stared at the bottom drawer.

"It was a gift for Vincent." Elizabeth gasped as she turned around, caught where she certainly shouldn't be. She stammered out an apology, but Daniel waved it away. "I made it for him as a housewarming gift for his room. I made Alison the rocking horse," he gestured to a shadowy corner where a rocking horse stood a silent vigil over the room. The room was empty except for these two items and a thick, velvet curtain obscuring a portion of the wall and Elizabeth realized that it was something of a shrine for the two deceased children.

"I didn't know that you did wood carving."

"It's a hobby," he replied simply. He didn't elaborate. Elizabeth stood there in awkward silence for several long seconds before she bobbed a small curtsey to him and left the room. She had stepped onto the main floor when Daniel's voice halted her for the briefest of moments.

"For what it's worth, I am sorry for the pain and heartache I caused you so long ago. You deserved to be with someone who could make you happy." Elizabeth turned, but he had already disappeared, leaving her to let herself out, which she had expected anyways. Tears coming to her eyes, she walked out the front door.

**::~*~::**

Daniel, from his vantage point at a window in a room above the front hall, watched her leave, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. No matter how urgently she wished it, he couldn't be happy, even if he wanted to forsake his oath now. The only person who could have made him happy had married long ago and was leaving Harper's Island in a matter of hours.

The master of the house retreated from the room and returned to where he had been when the lady had arrived. He picked up the candle and, instead of extinguishing it, he held it aloft as he pulled a thick cord hidden behind the velvet curtain. The curtain raised itself and Daniel stared intently at the portrait hidden behind it. Fair skin, dark brown hair in ringlets, warm chocolate eyes regarded him as he gazed upon the face of his first love. He never knew why he had painted the portrait; perhaps it was some morbid desire to torture his soul with her angelic façade. He had done it from memory and, having just seen the real being, he was impressed that he had portrayed her so perfectly. Albeit, time had waged its war against her; her eyes were a little more careworn, her skin a little more lined, but overall, she still resembled the beauty he had known before, as though the woman in the portrait had stepped right off the canvas and walked out the front door.

He sighed and pulled the cord again, hiding the portrait from sight. Gazing once more around the room, he blew out the candle, its last flickering light catching the five crosses carved on the bottom drawer of the chest.


	7. Epilogue

Cal stared at Chloe in shock. "How have you managed to read the entirety of the island's history already?"

Chloe shrugged nonchalantly. "It wasn't a very long story. Besides, it wasn't the _entire_ history. It was just a short history on John and Daniel Harper, the two brothers who first settled here." She tossed a pamphlet-styled book onto their bed as she started rifling through her suitcase, extracting a black swimsuit. She had picked the book up in the lobby area of the Candlewick when they had checked in. Maggie, the manager of the inn, had seen Chloe's interest in the book and had proceeded to rattle off random facts about the island and inn and its history as her staff checked the guests in. After surprising the lovely blonde with a sailing invitation to be fulfilled later in the week, Cal spent a few hours in a most enjoyable fashion with her, before she had slid off to the bathroom for a bubble bath to scrub off the salty sea spray from the boat ride over, incidentally reading a lot of island material while in there. Cal had heard more than his fair share of names, dates, places, facts, stories, etc. then he ever wanted to know.

Chloe's eyes lit up and Cal could practically see the wheels turning in her brain. "We should totally visit their graves. In this pamphlet," she pulled out a thin pamphlet from the small pile on the nightstand, "it tells where they are buried. Daniel had his brother's family exhumed from the graves he had dug for them and relocated to a family plot within the town's proper cemetery near the church. In fact, we can probably visit all the graves of the people mentioned in this book." She started flipping through the pages, making mental notes of names.

"Chloe, darling, I love you to death. I will do whatever you want on this island, but we came here for a wedding. Shouldn't we be reveling in life and the joining of this happy couple instead of obsessing over the dead?" He collapsed face-down on the bed in protest.

His girlfriend frowned at him, and he was tempted to retract his pleas when she hadn't answered him, but Chloe nodded her head in resignation. "I promise not to speak one more word about the Harper brothers and John Wakefield and all the tragic events that have happened here, and focus all of my attention on my dear friend, Trish, and her head-over-heels-in-love future husband, Henry, if you grant me this one request. Tonight, after dinner." He turned his head to look at her.

Cal pretended to _hum_ and _haw_ over it before he lifted his pinky finger up to her. "Pinky swear."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "That is _so_ childish."

"And, yet, childishly binding. Now do it."

She glared at him in mock irritation before strangling his pinky finger with her own. She leaned over and kissed him, a smile playing around her lips. He grabbed her and pulled her towards him. Her feet lost friction on the ground and she toppled over onto him, where he kissed her many more times before they pulled back and just lay there.

"How did I get so lucky to have you in my life?" he whispered. He was lying on his side and she was lying against him with her head on the side of his stomach. He reached out to poke her nose and she smiled at him.

"Probably because you're one of the few people who doesn't treat me like a sex object." Her thoughts drifted back to the boat ride over earlier in the afternoon when Henry's best friend Sully had kept making passes at her. "What do you think about that Sully guy?"

Cal snorted. "_He's_ going to treat you like a sex object." Chloe laughed as she softly punched his stomach.

"I know that, but I feel like we could have fun with this. He wasn't being subtle at all."

"I don't do threesomes."

Chloe punched him again in the stomach, this time a little harder, eliciting a groan from her human pillow. "That's disgusting," she replied. She sat up and Cal's best efforts to pull her back down on the bed were ignored.

"Seriously, though," Cal hollered from the bed—Chloe had disappeared back into the bathroom to change into her swimsuit. "You pinky swore that you wouldn't mention all those things for the rest of the week." He rolled over onto his back, his head hanging off the bed and pointed towards the bathroom and his feet pointed towards the pillows. The bathroom door opened and Chloe reappeared wearing her swimsuit.

"Whoa."

Chloe grinned as she grabbed a towel from off of the counter.

"You just bathed and now you're going to the pool? You know you're just going to have to shower again before the party tonight."

"Fine by me. Maybe I'll have some company next time," she said before skipping out the door. Cal hesitated a total of three minutes and forty-two seconds before he was flying out the door behind her.

**::~*~::**

"Um, Chloe, where are we going?" Cal stumbled along the forest path behind her. The sun was setting and Chloe had slipped away from the party, but not before making sure Cal had seen her. She was already out the front door and halfway down the lawn when he left the ballroom.

Tripping along through the growing darkness, Cal had a sneaking suspicion that he knew where they were headed. Leave it to Chloe to have done her homework. She stopped so abruptly, that he almost fell over her. Getting his bearings, as much as he could on a strange island, he saw that they had cut through the forest and approached the church and the cemetery from behind. A rusty, wrought iron fence surrounded the small plot of land. Chloe excitedly ran around to the small gate and quickly went through, Cal right behind her.

She grabbed his hand and pointed to one of the headstones. The moon was full enough that they could read the large names on the stones with no other light source. "Look, it's Catherine Willis. She was the first owner of the Candlewick when it became the Candlewick. The Candlewick was built as the large manor house that John Harper built for his family. Daniel inherited it after John's death and then it passed to the town after his death. Over the course of about forty years, the house changed ownership seven times with a wealthy gangster being the last owner before the Willis'. Shortly after the gangster was murdered while visiting Las Vegas, the house burned down, a few years passed before an outsider, David Willis, came to the island to buy the property with plans to rebuild it as a vacation spot for wealthy tourists. He rebuilt the exterior exactly as it had been before, but he redid the interior to make it appropriate for many guests. He died of consumption before the remodeling was complete and ownership passed to his daughter, Catherine, who finished his work and opened it to the public, christening it with the name Candlewick. It brought a lot of business to the town, causing rapid growth for the town." She glanced sideways at Cal. "You find this incredibly boring, don't you?"

He yawned. "Of course not. Whatever you find fascinating, I find fascinating." He yawned again.

Chloe giggled. "Well, what do you want to know? Ask me anything about the island that would interest you." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him sweetly before pulling back.

"This is kind of creepy," he said. "We're in a graveyard."

"Come on, sweetie. Ask me anything."

He looked around as though seeking something that could give him a question to ask, just to satisfy Chloe. His eyes fell on a small cluster of headstones gathered under a large tree and, even from a distance, he could see the names on them. He looked back down at Chloe in his arms. He kissed the top of her head. "Did Daniel find his happily ever after?"

She looked up at him, puzzled. "Yeah, he actually did. Elizabeth became a widow twenty-three years after she married Joseph Johnson. Contrary to her last words to Daniel, she returned to Harper's Island to take up residence in her father's house as a widow. Their courtship resumed and they married within a year. It was a bittersweet time, as her father passed away a week after the vows were exchanged. I like to think he saw what his heart had longed to see and he had no more regrets. The daughter of his body married the son he had always longed for. They spent five blissful years together before illness claimed Elizabeth's life. Daniel died eight months later. They never did have any children, not even from her first marriage." Chloe's reverent tone of voice ceased and they stood in silence for several moments. "That was such an odd question."

"Not entirely odd," he replied, pointing to the cluster of graves. John and Rachel Harper were buried closest to the tree, their three children buried below them on the gently sloping hill. Daniel Harper and Elizabeth Johnson-Harper were buried at the base of the hill, their headstones belying their true love had been found at last.

**::~*~::**

**A/N: Timeline for the epilogue: this entire chapter took place during the first episode of the show. The first part took place between Cal's sailing surprise for Chloe and the evening party and the second part took place after the party and before the late-night swim. **


End file.
